City of Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston shared his year-end thoughts on Tuesday, Dec. 21. (City of Red Deer Communications)

By Alessia Proietti

Year In Review

Mayor Johnston describes Red Deerians as “Resilient” in year-end interview

Dec 22, 2021 | 12:45 PM

City of Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston has one word to describe local residents: resilient.

In a year-end interview on Tuesday, Mayor Johnston discussed the struggles and successes the city has gone through over the past 12 months.

It’s no shock that the pandemic is top of the list for this year’s challenges. The second time around hasn’t been any easier than the first for council, but locals were acknowledged for their perseverance.

“During the year Red Deerians stepped up many, many times and showed their resilience in the community. What I mean by resilience, more than anything, is just caring for each other,” said Johnston.

“COVID is testing the strength of our social fabric and in Red Deer that fabric remains strong; I’m really happy to say that.”

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Pushing COVID-19 to the side for a moment, Mayor Johnston also mentioned related health services that remain an ongoing issue for the city: ambulance dispatch and the hospital expansion.

“I have been optimistic, as you know, for six years now, since I started pounding the drum on the hospital issue. I’m very optimistic now that the business case has left Alberta Health Services and found its way into the treasury part of our provincial jurisdictional partnership.”

“Having said that,” he knocks on the podium, “I am knocking on the door of the provincial partnership, of our provincial colleagues to say, ‘hey guys! Where’s our money? And where is our planned expansion?’”

While some worry the loosening of provincial restrictions for the holidays may negatively impact the current health care system, the mayor points out the issues of Red Deer’s hospital go beyond the pandemic.

“The hospital is challenged even in a non-COVID environment,” he said.

“We’re moving people off for surgeries, we have a crowded ER, we have a waiting list for orthopedic surgeries, we have no cardiac unit,” he said with a sigh.

Urging residents to stay safe, Johnston expressed not only his confidence in governments making the right decisions, but confidence in locals as well.

“I think if we saw anything in 2021, it’s the quality of choices that we make and the way that we make those choices that help us navigate the situation that we’re in.”

In the meantime, Mayor Johnston says he’s looking ahead to next year’s goals.

“COVID has made us in many ways almost invisible,” he said. “The hope, of course, for 2022 is visibility.”

The mayor gave numerous examples of events this year in Red Deer that brought multiple districts together in, he says, a responsible and communal way: the National Pickleball Championships, the Agri-Trade Equipment Expo, Canadian Finals Rodeo, a large increase in usage of golf courses and trail systems, and a successful pilot project for e-scooters.

From July to October, five e-scooter companies piloted the project, bringing in a total of $7.6 million with Red Deerians travelling 200,000 km in cumulative distance, from residential areas to the downtown core.

The mayor shared the amount of time he’s spent in brainstorming ways to continue the revitalization of the downtown area, a hot topic in the city.

He uses another one word to summarize his plan: spaces.

“We need to be able to fill some of the vacancies in our downtown,” he said. “The word spaces represent our post-COVID economy and the opportunity for us to present Red Deer as an attraction across the province and across our country as a preferred place to live in a post-COVID economy.”

This not only includes indoor locations but also the intent to commence construction for the Capstone urban community and the creation of outdoor gathering spaces.

Expressing optimism for 2022, Johnston said he intends to check off boxes for completed projects, with a public hearing for the temporary shelter scheduled for January, and a location chosen but not yet disclosed for the permanent shelter.

He also pointed to the new justice centre under construction, thanking the workers for completing what he believes is a great achievement for the city.

“One of the great wins I think for my council career was the preservation of the Parsons House that I’m looking out over here this morning and repurposing that.”

With a hopeful look towards a brighter year ahead, Mayor Johnston encourages locals to celebrate the holiday season at the City Hall’s Christmas lights display together as a community.

“Give a hug where you can give a hug, love your neighbor where you can love your neighbor, if you will, in a responsible way. Be safe and I look forward to seeing all of you in person in 2022.”